- Joined
- Jan 13, 2001
- Messages
- 10,972
I finally found a place nearby that sells basswood blocks. Despite my original intention to use my Eye Brand large stockman, I decided not to do so since the EB is such a large knife at 4.25" closed. I'm going to use a whittler instead.
The knife I selected is the Queen Half-Whittler, #46. My particular specimen is one of the Queen/Dan Burke collaborations with Sandvik 12c27 blades and jigged winterbottom bone scales. I picked this over the D2 version because 12c27 takes a finer and more polished edge in my experience. 12c27 steel was originally formulated for razors and is often used for the blades in French Laguioles and Finnish puukkos. It's a good choice for a whittler.
The half-whittler feels quite different from my other Queen-built knives. Whereas the Schatt & Morgan Harness Jack, the Queen/Dan Burke Rancher, and the BFC 2010 Moose are all stout pieces, the half-whittler is sleek, and feels almost delicate in comparison. The blades are quite thin and I can actually flex them with my fingers. I don't have much experience with knives like this, but it should be alright as long as I remember that this is a precision cutting tool.
Construction of this piece is well done. Fit and finish is about as good as you can expect on a production slipjoint. I can see a couple of tiny gaps when I hold the knife up to the light, but only when I hold it at a certain angle. All non-cutting edges are nicely radiused. The design uses a single backspring for the two blades. The wharncliffe master blade has a cam end, while the pen employs a square tang. I enjoyed a wonderful surprise when I discovered that both blades were actually quite sharp. Not up to the level of Spyderco of course, but these blades were the sharpest I've ever seen on a modern production slipjoint. The walk and talk on this knife is simply marvelous. Both blades are around a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. It's pretty close to the walk and talk that you'd find on a Victorinox.
There is one pretty big flaw on this knife though. There is a good-sized chip in the bone on the non-shield side scale. One of the ridges looks like a piece just broke off. I don't know how the bone made it through quality control as the entire piece is dyed. It's disappointing as this is the only flaw that I can see on what is otherwise an excellent production knife.
I'm going to keep this knife though. I bought this knife for a user, not as a collector piece. While I'm not happy with the imperfection I mentioned, I can live with it. After a few years of use the scales will be pocketworn anyway and I probably won't even notice it. The important thing is that everything else is so right. Walk and talk, blade grind, and sharpness are all spot on. I don't want to send it in and take the chance that the repair or replacement isn't as good in these aspects.
That's enough talk for now. Here are some pictures.
Next to a Forum Moose
Look how thin those blades are!
Picture of the scale chip
- Christian
The knife I selected is the Queen Half-Whittler, #46. My particular specimen is one of the Queen/Dan Burke collaborations with Sandvik 12c27 blades and jigged winterbottom bone scales. I picked this over the D2 version because 12c27 takes a finer and more polished edge in my experience. 12c27 steel was originally formulated for razors and is often used for the blades in French Laguioles and Finnish puukkos. It's a good choice for a whittler.
The half-whittler feels quite different from my other Queen-built knives. Whereas the Schatt & Morgan Harness Jack, the Queen/Dan Burke Rancher, and the BFC 2010 Moose are all stout pieces, the half-whittler is sleek, and feels almost delicate in comparison. The blades are quite thin and I can actually flex them with my fingers. I don't have much experience with knives like this, but it should be alright as long as I remember that this is a precision cutting tool.
Construction of this piece is well done. Fit and finish is about as good as you can expect on a production slipjoint. I can see a couple of tiny gaps when I hold the knife up to the light, but only when I hold it at a certain angle. All non-cutting edges are nicely radiused. The design uses a single backspring for the two blades. The wharncliffe master blade has a cam end, while the pen employs a square tang. I enjoyed a wonderful surprise when I discovered that both blades were actually quite sharp. Not up to the level of Spyderco of course, but these blades were the sharpest I've ever seen on a modern production slipjoint. The walk and talk on this knife is simply marvelous. Both blades are around a 5 on a scale of 1 to 10. It's pretty close to the walk and talk that you'd find on a Victorinox.
There is one pretty big flaw on this knife though. There is a good-sized chip in the bone on the non-shield side scale. One of the ridges looks like a piece just broke off. I don't know how the bone made it through quality control as the entire piece is dyed. It's disappointing as this is the only flaw that I can see on what is otherwise an excellent production knife.
I'm going to keep this knife though. I bought this knife for a user, not as a collector piece. While I'm not happy with the imperfection I mentioned, I can live with it. After a few years of use the scales will be pocketworn anyway and I probably won't even notice it. The important thing is that everything else is so right. Walk and talk, blade grind, and sharpness are all spot on. I don't want to send it in and take the chance that the repair or replacement isn't as good in these aspects.
That's enough talk for now. Here are some pictures.
Next to a Forum Moose
Look how thin those blades are!
Picture of the scale chip
- Christian
